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Courtney Murphy

Courtney Murphy enjoys the process of scratching into the clay to draw images. Because of this process, each piece created is unique, and there is a slight variation in each drawing. Murphy is compelled by the variation found in hand-made objects; a slight change in the profile or image on a cup decides whether a person will be drawn to one cup over another. She enjoys creating functional work because these handmade objects leave her studio to become a part of somebody else's daily routine. The personal connection this creates inspires her

Courtney Murphy at MudFire

Courtney Murphy Artist Statement

I first began working with clay while living in Brooklyn, NY. After several years of working for potters around the city, I decided I wanted to figure out how to become a potter, and I moved to Portland to study ceramics at the wonderful Oregon College of Art & Craft. After graduating, I spent three and a half months at a ceramic residency in Denmark, where I was surrounded by beautiful ceramics and a very beautiful landscape. In 2006, clay lead me back across the country to Asheville, N.C. to begin a two year Ceramic Residency at Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts.

I have been working full-time as a potter for the last two and a half years, creating modern hand-built and wheel-thrown tableware and decorative wall hangings. My designs are influenced by simplified abstractions of nature, children's artwork, folk art, and mid-century modern forms and shapes, as well as lots and lots of books on ceramics and design.

I enjoy the process of scratching into the clay to draw my images. Because of this process, each piece created is unique, and there is a slight variation in each drawing. I am compelled by the variation found in hand-made objects; a slight change in the profile or image on a cup decides whether a person will be drawn to one cup over another. I also enjoy creating functional work because these handmade objects leave my studio to become a part of somebody else's daily routine. I like the personal connection that handmade objects help to create.

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